Spring in Swing/Cherry Blossoms

Frog eggs

Ice cold, clear spring

One of the nicest clear creeks I have seen in the area.

Spring beauties

Bluebells

Invasive lesser celandine taking over the Potomac River forest floor

cut leaf toothwort

Cormorants on the Potomac

Washington DC's infamous cherry blossoms

Kite festival at Washington Monument

Spring is in swing around the DC area, and it doesn't get much better than this. Wildflowers will most likely really begin to put on a show in the next week or so as temps continue to warm up and sun is expected in the forecast. Cherry trees in the area will be in maximum bloom in the next few days. Trees are still mostly bare at the moment, but the underbrush and grasses are beginning to green. It's a great time of year to really savor the sights...

Spring is on the Way

Wood duck

A little green on the AT yesterday

Harpers Ferry cemetery looking towards Potomac River

Goose on the Shenandoah River

Bluebells just getting started

Red tailed hawk eating dinner

At long last, spring is on the way. About two weeks ago, the forest was in its most bedraggled state. The forest was brown, filled with mud, ravaged by the winter. It appeared almost lifeless. Suddenly, the first green plants and grass began to peak through the mud, daily temperatures slowly have begun to rise. Even better, we had a couple of glorious bluebird days filled with intensifying sunlight. I can't tell you how nice it was to see the sun and blue sky. It almost seems like it rarely happens anymore.

We are now in the time frame when every week gets better and better in the forest, with new plants and flowers coming to life. Birdsong fills the forest and mornings around town. Here are a few photos from around the area the last couple of weeks. Yesterday I did a little hiking on the AT near Harpers Ferry. The river was the greenest I have seen it in a long time, as we have had just a little precipitation in the last week. Usually it seems we get rain every other day or so, turning the river brown...